Prevention

Attentiveness

Students are less likely to engage in problematic behaviour if they perceive their chances of being detected to be high. Being attentive to misconduct, documenting it and reporting it when it occurs shows students that:

you are aware of their behaviour;

you care about the fairness of the evaluation process and carefully assess their work;

the University is serious about preserving academic integrity;

there are consequences for their actions, and “shortcuts” do not pay off.

Reporting

Despite the steps taken to prevent academic offences, there are several reasons why students still commit them:

confusion about, or ignorance of, the rules;

underdeveloped academic skills;

poor decision-making when faced with situational challenges;

competition and pressure to succeed;

perception that assignments are pointless or trivial;

little sense of responsibility or fairness to others.

Reporting offences when they occur protects the work of honest students, many of whom are facing similar challenges but choose to do the right thing. It also helps preserve the integrity of the evaluation system.